Lord Edward Somerset
Encyclopedia
General
Lord Robert Edward Henry Somerset GCB
(19 December 1776 – 1 September 1842) was a British soldier.
He was the third son of the 5th duke of Beaufort
, and elder brother of Lord Raglan
.
Joining the 15th Light Dragoons
in 1793, he became captain in the following year, and received a majority after serving as aide-de-camp to the duke of York in the Dutch expedition of 1799. At the end of 1800 he became a lieutenant-colonel, and in 1801 received the command of the 4th Light Dragoons. From 1799 to 1802 he represented the Monmouth Boroughs
in the House of Commons
, from 1803 to 1823 sat for Gloucestershire
and from 1834 to 1837 was MP for Cirencester
.
On 17 October 1805 he married Louisa Augusta Courtenay (d. 8 February 1825), daughter of William Courtenay, 8th Earl of Devon
, with whom he had one child, a son:
He commanded his regiment at the battles of Talavera and Buçaco
, and in 1810 received a colonelcy and the appointment of ADC
to the king. In 1811, along with the 3rd Dragoon Guards, the 4th Light Dragoons fought a notable cavalry action at Usagre, and in 1812 Lord Edward Somerset was engaged in the great charge of Le Marchant's heavy cavalry at Salamanca
. His conduct on this occasion (he captured five guns at the head of a single squadron) won him further promotion, and he made the remaining campaigns as a major-general at the head of the Hussar brigade (7th, 10th and 15th Hussars).
At Orthes he won further distinction by his pursuit of the enemy; he was made KCB
, and received the thanks of parliament. At Waterloo
he was in command of the Household Cavalry
Brigade, which distinguished itself not less by its stern and patient endurance of the enemy's fire than by its celebrated charge on the cuirassier
s of Milhaud
's corps.
The brigadier was particularly mentioned in Wellington
's despatches, and received the thanks of parliament as well as the Army Gold Cross with one clasp for his services at Talavera, Salamanca, Vitoria, Orthez, and Toulouse; the Maria Theresa
and other much-prized foreign orders.
He died a general and GCB
in 1842.
The 'Lord Somerset Monument' stands high on the Cotswold Edge at Hawkesbury, Gloucestershire
, near the ancestral home of Badminton, Gloucestershire
. It was erected in 1846.
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General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
Lord Robert Edward Henry Somerset GCB
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
(19 December 1776 – 1 September 1842) was a British soldier.
He was the third son of the 5th duke of Beaufort
Henry Somerset, 5th Duke of Beaufort
Henry Somerset, 5th Duke of Beaufort KG was the only son of Charles Noel Somerset, 4th Duke of Beaufort and his wife, Elizabeth Berkeley. Styled Marquess of Worcester from 1746, on his father's death on 28 October 1756, he succeeded him as Duke of Beaufort.He succeeded to the title of 13th Lord...
, and elder brother of Lord Raglan
FitzRoy Somerset, 1st Baron Raglan
Field Marshal FitzRoy James Henry Somerset, 1st Baron Raglan, GCB, PC , known before 1852 as Lord FitzRoy Somerset, was a British soldier.-Early life:...
.
Joining the 15th Light Dragoons
15th The King's Hussars
The 15th The King's Hussars was a cavalry regiment in the British Army. First raised in 1759, it saw service over two centuries, before being amalgamated into the 15th/19th Hussars in 1922.-Formation:...
in 1793, he became captain in the following year, and received a majority after serving as aide-de-camp to the duke of York in the Dutch expedition of 1799. At the end of 1800 he became a lieutenant-colonel, and in 1801 received the command of the 4th Light Dragoons. From 1799 to 1802 he represented the Monmouth Boroughs
Monmouth Boroughs (UK Parliament constituency)
Monmouth Boroughs was a parliamentary constituency consisting of several towns in Monmouthshire...
in the House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
, from 1803 to 1823 sat for Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire (UK Parliament constituency)
The constituency of Gloucestershire was a UK Parliamentary constituency. After it was abolished under the 1832 Electoral Reform Act, two new constituencies, West Gloucestershire and East Gloucestershire, were created....
and from 1834 to 1837 was MP for Cirencester
Cirencester (UK Parliament constituency)
Cirencester was a parliamentary constituency in Gloucestershire. From 1571 until 1885, it was a parliamentary borough, which returned two Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom until 1868, and one member between 1868 and 1885...
.
On 17 October 1805 he married Louisa Augusta Courtenay (d. 8 February 1825), daughter of William Courtenay, 8th Earl of Devon
William Courtenay, 8th Earl of Devon
William Courtenay, 8th Earl de jure of Devon was the eldest son of William Courtenay 7th de jure Earl of Devon, and Lady Frances Finch....
, with whom he had one child, a son:
- Lt-Gen. Edward Arthur SomersetEdward Arthur SomersetLieutenant-General Edward Arthur Somerset CB was a British soldier and politician, the son of Lord Edward Somerset....
(1817–1886)
He commanded his regiment at the battles of Talavera and Buçaco
Battle of Buçaco
The Battle of Bussaco resulted in the defeat of French forces by Lord Wellington's Anglo-Portuguese Army, in Portugal during the Peninsular War....
, and in 1810 received a colonelcy and the appointment of ADC
Aide-de-camp
An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
to the king. In 1811, along with the 3rd Dragoon Guards, the 4th Light Dragoons fought a notable cavalry action at Usagre, and in 1812 Lord Edward Somerset was engaged in the great charge of Le Marchant's heavy cavalry at Salamanca
Battle of Salamanca
The Battle of Salamanca saw Anglo-Portuguese and Spanish armies under the Duke of Wellington defeat Marshal Auguste Marmont's French forces among the hills around Arapiles south of Salamanca, Spain on July 22, 1812 during the Peninsular War....
. His conduct on this occasion (he captured five guns at the head of a single squadron) won him further promotion, and he made the remaining campaigns as a major-general at the head of the Hussar brigade (7th, 10th and 15th Hussars).
At Orthes he won further distinction by his pursuit of the enemy; he was made KCB
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
, and received the thanks of parliament. At Waterloo
Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815 near Waterloo in present-day Belgium, then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands...
he was in command of the Household Cavalry
Household Cavalry
The term Household Cavalry is used across the Commonwealth to describe the cavalry of the Household Divisions, a country’s most elite or historically senior military groupings or those military groupings that provide functions associated directly with the Head of state.Canada's Governor General's...
Brigade, which distinguished itself not less by its stern and patient endurance of the enemy's fire than by its celebrated charge on the cuirassier
Cuirassier
Cuirassiers were mounted cavalry soldiers equipped with armour and firearms, first appearing in late 15th-century Europe. They were the successors of the medieval armoured knights...
s of Milhaud
Édouard Jean Baptiste Milhaud
Édouard Jean-Baptiste Milhaud was a French politician, Général de Division, and comte d'Empire.-French Revolutionary wars:...
's corps.
The brigadier was particularly mentioned in Wellington
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century...
's despatches, and received the thanks of parliament as well as the Army Gold Cross with one clasp for his services at Talavera, Salamanca, Vitoria, Orthez, and Toulouse; the Maria Theresa
Military Order of Maria Theresa
The Military Order of Maria Theresa was an Order of the Austro-Hungarian Empire founded on June 18, 1757, the day of the Battle of Kolin, by the Empress...
and other much-prized foreign orders.
He died a general and GCB
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
in 1842.
The 'Lord Somerset Monument' stands high on the Cotswold Edge at Hawkesbury, Gloucestershire
Hawkesbury, Gloucestershire
Hawkesbury is a hamlet consisting of a few cottages around a triangular green, it is also the name of a civil parish in the South Gloucestershire unitary authority in England in which Hawkesbury itself lies, it is located west of Hawkesbury Upton, off the A46 road.The civil parish includes...
, near the ancestral home of Badminton, Gloucestershire
Badminton, Gloucestershire
Badminton, Gloucestershire, is a village in England famous for its horse trials, which take place in early May each year in the grounds of the Duke of Beaufort's residence, Badminton House...
. It was erected in 1846.
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